Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: Art of the Hegemon Asura
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The tense martial artists aimed their swords at Neung Un-bi.
But his eyes saw only one thing.
The one who had killed Kim San, Shin Ye-rang, and Yun An-ro.
His obsidian eyes, brimming with killing intent, glistened, and his heavy steps, wreathed in a dense demonic aura, moved forward.
“Ugh.”
With each step Neung Un-bi took, the men before him grimaced and staggered back. It was because a colossal pressure, accompanied by a demonic aura spreading like storm clouds, was crushing the entire space.
*Rumble.*
The very air seemed to twist and scream in protest with his every step.
*Crack, crackle.*
The ground beneath his feet fractured like a spiderweb.
“Wh-what is this?”
Zhuge Min’s face contorted at Neung Un-bi’s sudden transformation.
*Is this really the same man from before?*
Those glistening black eyes, that suffocating demonic aura.
What was this presence that seemed like it would overwhelm even Nangong Muwi?
Realizing that an unknown anxiety was making it hard to breathe, Zhuge Min glanced down at his own hands.
They were trembling faintly.
*Am I feeling fear?*
Only then did he realize that he, too, had been unconsciously backing away.
“Dammit! Stop him!” Gongyang Eun of the Nangong family shouted urgently at Neung Un-bi’s changed appearance.
The vanguard of the warriors who had been surrounding Yun An-ro straightened their swords and lunged forward in unison.
It was the Nangong family’s prized joint sword technique, the Flying Swallows of the Blue Sky.
Eight swift swords, as fast as swallows soaring through the blue sky, flew in from different angles, each aiming for a different target.
*Swoosh!*
It wasn’t accompanied by flashy movements, but its speed and the blue energy imbued in the swords were formidable.
However, Neung Un-bi merely watched impassively before slowly raising his hand.
And then he lowered it.
In that instant, as if a giant curtain had fallen from the sky, the eight warriors who had been targeting Neung Un-bi were all slammed into the ground.
*Crunch!*
Not only were they slammed down, but their bodies were driven deep into the earth.
“Guuuh…”
The warriors squirmed, trying to escape the pressure crushing their entire bodies, but they were no different from earthworms stepped on by a human foot.
All they could do was cry out in agony, tremble violently, and writhe.
Watching them, the corners of Neung Un-bi’s lips curled up slightly.
Like a child delighting in tearing the wings off a dragonfly.
“…Die.”
A single word.
It was nothing less than a death sentence.
*Crunch! Pop!*
The pressure intensified, and the human flesh crushed beneath it could no longer hold, bursting apart.
Eight corpses, flattened as if crushed by a giant boulder, not even a splash of blood escaping.
Despite the gruesome sight, Neung Un-bi, having already lost interest, began walking again with an indifferent expression.
With every step he took, the warriors in his path recoiled in terror.
“A d-demon…”
Just as someone muttered, Neung Un-bi looked like a demon incarnate in the mortal world. The sight of him smiling as he walked down a path stained with blood was truly that of a demon.
But were the Nangong family’s warriors the only ones who were shocked?
“Th-that’s!”
Wang Cheon’s hands trembled as he assessed Neung Un-bi’s condition.
“The Art of the Hegemon Asura!”
“Pardon?”
“That cursed demonic art…”
At Ju Seung’s question, Wang Cheon gritted his teeth and muttered.
He had seen it before. Just a few years ago.
A single tome that was forbidden within the Demonic Cult, never to be learned.
The one that Neung Un-bi, who had yearned for great power, had secretly mastered.
Wang Cheon clearly remembered the immense power Neung Un-bi had displayed back then.
If Dam Un-cheon hadn't personally stepped in to stop him, a great disaster would have occurred.
Of course, Neung Un-bi didn't remember what happened after. The moment he fell to his demonic nature, he lost his reason, and after exhausting all his power, he fell into qi deviation.
And when he awoke again, hadn't he become like a different person?
His personality, his way of speaking, his thoughts—all had changed, but it was dismissed as a side effect of the qi deviation.
But now…
“We have to stop him.”
“Pardon?”
“The Art of the Hegemon Asura is a demonic art that burns its user away. If we leave him like this, our lord will die.”
“…!”
*Die?*
The moment he finished speaking, Wang Cheon launched himself toward Neung Un-bi, leaving Ju Seung no time to think.
“Waning Moon Squad! Follow the Guard Captain!”
“Yes, sir!”
Following Wang Cheon, Ju Seung and the Waning Moon Squad lunged toward Neung Un-bi in unison.
It didn’t matter if he slaughtered the Nangong family’s warriors while lost to his demonic nature, but Neung Un-bi’s death was unacceptable.
They had to suppress his rampaging demonic nature. They had to keep him alive.
“My lord! Stop! You must stop.”
“…?”
Wang Cheon, resolved to die, blocked Neung Un-bi’s path.
Up close, Neung Un-bi’s condition was even clearer.
There was no focus in the obsidian eyes staring at him. He had succumbed to the demonic nature of the Art of the Hegemon Asura.
He had already lost his reason and was filled only with the intent to kill; conversation would surely be impossible.
“Dammit, Ju Seung! Suppression Formation! We’ll suppress our lord’s power as he is!”
“Yes, sir! Waning Moon Squad, form the Suppression Formation!”
At Ju Seung’s command, the warriors of the Waning Moon Squad formed a circle around Neung Un-bi and simultaneously raised their demonic energy.
“Begin!”
As the Waning Moon Squad’s Suppression Formation was fully activated at Ju Seung’s command, a massive demonic aura began to press down on Neung Un-bi’s power.
*Groooan…*
A battle of power against power.
But Neung Un-bi’s energy was far stronger than they had anticipated. Beads of sweat formed on the foreheads of the Waning Moon Squad members, who were giving their all, and veins bulged on their forearms.
Despite this, Neung Un-bi’s momentum did not wane.
On the contrary, it continued to grow.
Moreover, unlike the struggling members of the Waning Moon Squad, Neung Un-bi simply wore an indifferent expression.
“Everyone, use your full strength! We must suppress our lord’s power!”
“Yes, sir!”
Just as they gritted their teeth and drew upon their strength, a sinister smile appeared on Neung Un-bi’s lips.
*Whooosh…*
Neung Un-bi’s energy, which had been trapped within the Waning Moon Squad’s Suppression Formation, began to swirl like a vortex.
“Ugh…”
The vortex grew fiercer, soon turning into a storm.
“Hold on! Hold on, no matter what!”
Wang Cheon screamed as if vomiting blood, but his feet were being pushed further and further back. Even with the combined strength of Wang Cheon, Ju Seung, and the entire Waning Moon Squad, they couldn't contain Neung Un-bi’s power.
*BOOM!*
An explosion roared. The Suppression Formation had been shattered by the vortex of energy Neung Un-bi had created.
Unable to withstand the aftershock, the warriors of the Waning Moon Squad were sent tumbling.
“Ah…”
Realizing there was nothing more he could do, Wang Cheon let out a groan filled with lament.
*If only Hyang-i were here…*
He felt nothing but resentment for the fact that she was still tied up in her fight with Nangong Muwi.
No, perhaps she was doing everything in her power to keep Nangong Muwi occupied.
So what were they to do now?
How could they stop Neung Un-bi, who had fallen to his demonic nature?
If they left him like this, he would be consumed by his own power and incinerated…
Wang Cheon let his shoulders slump helplessly and looked up at Neung Un-bi, who was now approaching him.
“My lord…”
He called out faintly, but there was no way he would be heard.
He couldn't be in his right mind.
But perhaps it was for the best. Rather than suffering the shame of being killed by those orthodox bastards, wasn't it better to die at the hands of his own lord?
Just as Wang Cheon, resigned to death, hung his head in defeat, Neung Un-bi brushed past him, muttering under his breath.
“…Huh?”
For a moment, thinking he had misheard, the startled Wang Cheon whipped his head around to stare at Neung Un-bi’s back.
“Guard Captain?”
“…”
Ju Seung, also looking surprised, asked him, but Wang Cheon just stared blankly at Neung Un-bi.
His words just now.
*—…Move. If you stand in my way again, I’ll kill you.*
Neung Un-bi had clearly said that.
It was a quiet voice, but he had heard it distinctly.
His appearance was clearly that of someone lost to the demonic nature of the Art of the Hegemon Asura… so why?
Did that mean he was controlling the demonic nature induced by the Art of the Hegemon Asura?
That cursed demonic art?
“Guard Captain!”
“Huh?”
“What happened? Why did our lord…”
At Ju Seung’s equally baffled question, a faint smile formed on Wang Cheon’s lips.
“Ju Seung.”
“Yes?”
“…We might, just might, make it out of this alive.”
“…Pardon?”
Ju Seung tilted his head in confusion, but Wang Cheon’s gaze remained fixed on Neung Un-bi’s back.
The Art of the Hegemon Asura.
Perhaps Neung Un-bi had gained the power to overcome even the curse of that demonic art.
If so?
Wang Cheon turned his head to look at Hyang-i, who was fighting Nangong Muwi.
The situation was not good.
Hyang-i was a warrior of skill beyond their measure, but she was falling slightly short against the power of the Sword Emperor.
No, perhaps it was because she was raised as an assassin that she couldn't exert her full strength in a direct confrontation.
But what if Neung Un-bi, after punishing the man who killed Yun An-ro, turned his attention there?
Yes, they might be able to survive.
They might be able to return to the Demonic Cult safely.
Perhaps Yun An-ro’s death had been the catalyst that awakened his master’s latent potential…
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he felt a treacherous, fleeting sense of gratitude for the man’s death.
“Th-this is…”
As Neung Un-bi, whose steps had been briefly halted by the Demonic Cult members, began to move again, Zhuge Min’s face hardened.
“Dammit! Young Master Zhuge! What should we do!”
“Pardon?”
“When you killed Yun An-ro! You must have had something in mind!”
Gongyang Eun shouted irritably, but Zhuge Min couldn’t find the words to reply.
His mind was a mess.
What in the world was this situation?
He couldn't understand why the Demonic Cult members had tried to stop him, but that wasn't important.
Why did this man possess such power?
Killing Yun An-ro was just a ploy to distract him and buy time for Nangong Muwi…
Instead, it had awakened the demonic nature the man had been hiding. What was he to do now?
As he pondered, a glint of determination appeared in Zhuge Min’s eyes.
*Yes, this was due to a lack of information.*
If he had known the man possessed this level of power, he wouldn't have attacked so rashly.
He had to escape from the man’s grasp quickly.
He, whose goal was the world itself, could not die here.
“Zhuge Min!”
“…The Boundless Sky Formation!”
“What?”
“The Boundless Sky Formation should be enough.”
Zhuge Min shouted urgently.
But Gongyang Eun couldn't take his words at face value.
As a member of the Nangong family, how could he lack pride in the Boundless Sky Formation?
But pride and reality were two different things. He didn’t think it could stop Neung Un-bi.
The formation the Demonic Cult members had used moments ago was no less formidable than their own. And this was the man who had shattered such power.
As if reading his mind, Zhuge Min quickly continued.
“He's putting on a false show of strength.”
“A false show?”
“That’s right. He is a man more cunning than a snake. He merely used his subordinates to subtly threaten us. With the Boundless Sky Formation, we can capture him! If my warriors support you from the rear with the Great Expansion Formation, we can certainly stop him. Trust me!”
“…”
“Chang Seo! Support the Nangong family! Form the Great Expansion Formation!”
“Yes, sir!”
At Zhuge Min’s cry, Chang Seo led his subordinates to join the Nangong family’s warriors.
Gongyang Eun still had his doubts, but there were no other options.
The Sword Emperor’s fight was not yet over.
Although he had the upper hand and was pushing his opponent back, if the current Neung Un-bi were to join in, it would surely spell disaster.
He had to be stopped.
“Men of Nangong, listen! Form the Boundless Sky Formation! We will execute this villain of the Demonic Cult!”
“The Zhuge clan will follow the Nangong family!”
Gongyang Eun’s voice and Chang Seo’s voice rang out simultaneously, and the warriors positioned throughout the area launched themselves at Neung Un-bi in unison.
The formation was set, and Neung Un-bi was trapped within it.
And Zhuge Min… slowly backed away.
Wasn’t retreat also a strategy?
From the beginning, the role Zhuge Tianyu had entrusted to him was not to capture Neung Un-bi, but to assess him.
So, he had to retreat and report.
And so, Zhuge Min left the battlefield.
He had offered the Nangong family and his own subordinates as a sacrifice to Neung Un-bi.